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Starting The Hobby Of Loose Gemstone Collecting

By Lee MacRae

Why collect loose gemstones you ask? Well for one thing they are very beautiful items. And like their more familiar cousin, natural diamonds, they can become extremely valuable over the years. Many in this hobby love to find, collect and finish each and every one of the 150 varieties available. Follow along as we discuss the hobby of loose gemstone collecting.

To start off right you'll need the knowledge on the wide variety of stones available. This will help you to know what exactly you're looking for and prevent you from wasting your money. A knowledgeable buyer is a wise one.

First, color is a major part in the value of the stone. The closer the color of the gemstone is to its purer spectral value the more highly prized it is. Traditional spectral colors include red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Colors that are paler or darker than the pure spectral color tend to be less valued.

The way a stone is cut is the next factor to consider before a purchase. The precision of the cut determines the amount of light the gemstone stone will reflect. It will ultimately determine the brilliance of the stone and how much it will be valued.

Next up is gemstone clarity. Clarity refers to the the internal flaws ( known as inclusions) or the outside blemishes of a stone. Normally large flaws are visible to the naked eye with the others needing a 10X magnification.

Next to consider are size and weight. All gemstones [except for pearls and corals] are priced by the unit, carat. A carat is equal to 0.2 grams. However you should know weight and size are not the same in gemstones. Density or specific gravity can vary in gemstones. If you have a diamond that weighs 1.00 carats, you will find a similar sized ruby or sapphire is 1.20 carats.

Taking up the collecting of loose gemstones can be very rewarding hobby. And there is a wide range and variety in gemstones you can collect. You can collect gemstones like Hematite, Spinel or Kornerupine and then try others. The choice and beauty and variety is almost endless. And if money is tight you can go hunting for raw gemstones. Take the example of the US. In Minnesota you can hunt for Agate and Thomsonite.

Buy Tourmaline loose gemstones or try buying loose diamonds and also suare princess cut natural diamonds today in our store!

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Learn More About loose diamonds for less

An opal is actually what is known as a mineraloid, a shapeless gel with silicium
dioxide that was deposited at a low temperature in crevices and fissures of all
different types of rock. The most common types of rock where they were deposited
are limonite, sandstone, rhyolite and basalt. It can also form original fossils
or replace fossils that have already been formed, and collectors find this
phenomenon very interesting. Opals are relatively young gems, and they are so
fragile they could never have survived early geological upheavals that produced
other types of stones. Opals did occur in volcanic masses of calcite that filled
the veins in lava rock. Hot, briny gel like mixtures would rise up to the
surface from the volcano which decomposed the calcite. What was left behind was
colloidal silica, and this along with water later produced opals.
Buy loose Jasper gemstones today!

Malachite is always coated with a protective polish. This polish will wash off.
Imitation malachite has very regular black or white banding. Malachite is found
most everywhere. However, the most important mine is in Zaire. Malachite is the
anniversary gemstone for the 13th year of marriage.
Buy loose Aventurine gemstones today!

Since 1935, the mining of gemstones in the United States has been almost
entirely through mineral collectors and hobbyists. Rather than doing the mining
themselves, owners of land that has a deposit of gem-quality minerals sometimes
charge hobbyists for the right to collect gemstones. For example, diamond in
Arkansas, opal in Idaho, and agate in Oregon and Washington are mined by
hobbyists under this "fee digging" arrangement.
Buy black loose diamonds today!

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